HMV customers have been left with millions of pounds of worthless gift
vouchers but as the company teetered on the brink of insolvency yesterday it
denied any wrongdoing.

As administrators from the financial services firm Deloitte were formally
appointed last night, HMV executives blamed a disappointing performance over
Christmas on its inability to secure a supply of tablet computers. The
failure of the retailer puts more than 4,100 jobs at risk.

Customers who received HMV cards for Christmas will be left out of pocket, as
they rank alongside suppliers and landlords as unsecured creditors to the
group, which went into